Magnitude 7 Davao quake warning dismissed

UNTV News • February 25, 2017 • 3667

DAVAO, Philippines — After a magnitude 4.7 quake hit Davao City on Thursday, an information is now circulating in some social media sites warning Davaoeños of a strong quake that may hit the city anytime between February 24 until March 8.

The message states that the movement of the Surigao to Mati fault will trigger a quake with a magnitude of 7 or more.

However the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said the information is not true.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte urged government agencies in-charge of facilitating sweeper flights for its residents stranded in Manila not to allow those who show signs of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or those infected with the virus to board the aircraft.

Duterte made the call on Thursday following reports that several returning Davao residents through special flights tested positive for the dreaded viral disease.

Last week, four overseas Filipino workers aboard a sweeper flight tested positive for COVID-19. A few days later, two more persons who came home through another special flight failed to pass the city health office’s health screening.

(We need to screen those coming in and going out because people infected with COVID-19 should not be allowed to board the flight as well as those who are exhibiting symptoms.)

She explained that screening at the airport is necessary to stop the virus from spreading to other people and places.

In line with this, the presidential daughter said a screening station will be established at the Davao International Airport to ensure that all individuals boarding their flights when commercial operations resume are free of the disease.

She said the screening station will be manned 24/7 by the City Health Office

(We have directed our City Health Office to prepare a 24-hour rotational scheme for those who will be on duty in the airport. In the new normal, if the social distancing measure and flight capacity limit will be observed, around 2,000 people will depart.)

The city government has so far accommodated 2,266 inbound passengers and 3,635 outbound passengers since April 29.

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte called on other local government units not to restrict the movement of people within areas in the Davao region that are under general community quarantine (GCQ).

Duterte issued the statement during an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday following reports that some workers traveling from Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro to Davao City are being required to present documents and undergo a 14-day quarantine before granting them passage to Davao del Norte.

“That’s what I’ve been saying, for those of you who are ranting on Facebook, Sirs and Ma’ams, you should have prepared for this during the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) because movement between GCQ areas would be allowed,” she said, apparently referring to officials of LGUs in neighboring areas.

Citing Section 7 (3) of the Omnibus Guidelines on the implementation of the community quarantine in the Philippines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), Duterte said the interzonal movement of persons between areas placed under GCQ for any purpose other than leisure is permitted.

“Is employment a leisure? It’s not, so they are allowed to move. There is a confusion on your part that you need to resolve,” she said.

The mayor also said that subjecting workers passing through the province to Davao City to a two-week quarantine was “unreasonable.”

“It’s unreasonable that those who are just passing through your area to return to work (in Davao City), who are not even working in your area will be subjected to a 14-day quarantine. I don’t think it’s right preparation,” she said.

The entire Davao region, including Davao City, is under GCQ from May 16 to May 31.

The presidential daughter said that if other LGUs continue to restrict the movement of people to and from their areas then they should have instead opted for an extension of enhanced community quarantine implementation.

(If you do not allow entry, you raise your (quarantine level) to ECQ because during ECQ you don’t allow entry and exit. But during GCQ, if your neighbor is GCQ and you are GCQ, you can travel to offices and establishments categorized as I, II, III for work.)

In another statement, she, however, clarified that she is not intimidating nor dictating other local leaders about movement restrictions.

Instead, Duterte said she only requested them to refrain from asking “unnecessary” documents from people traveling to their areas.

(What I told them is not to ask for a travel order, a (Davao City) seal, my original signature because that is not required. Don’t ask people for that. If the persons say they are workers are they not allowed to move for work? You can ask for an ID.)

Mayor Sara also pointed out that prohibiting the entry of people through lockdowns does not guarantee protection from the coronavirus.

She said LGUs should instead ready their local government for the possible surge of COVID-19 patients.

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